It will change the way people see the Irish past, flipping usual practice on its head and placing Ireland at the centre not just of Irish but British and at times even European history.

Hawes concludes by arguing that if Ireland can now sidestep the last, toxic wreckage of the British Empire, its eventful past will flow into a bright future. From the bestselling author of The Shortest History of Germany and The Shortest History of England, this is popular history at its thrilling best.

‘Using evidence from history, archaeology, linguistics and even DNA analysis, Hawes superbly charts the development of Irish society from earliest prehistory right up to modern times.’  DR KIERAN O’CONOR, UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY